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Kiyomizudera (清水寺 “Clear Water Temple”) is a temple of the Hossō sect of Buddhism. It is located on a high hill in the Higashiyama Ward of Kyoto. Officially called Otowa-san Kiyomizu-dera (音羽山清水寺), it was founded around 788 by the monk Enchin with support of Sakanoue no Tamuramaro (758-811), a general who fought several campaigns to bring eastern Japan under the control of the central government. The temple is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and as such part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto (Kyoto, Uji and Otsu Cities).
History
Legend has it that Enchin, originally a...

The Ryoanji temple (竜安寺 or 龍安寺, Ryōan-ji, “Temple of the Peaceful Dragon”) is a temple in the Ukyō Ward of Kyoto, belonging to the Myōshinji branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. It is most famous for its rock garden in the karesansui (枯山水, “dry landscape”) style. Among its patrons were the Hosokawa family, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu, the founder of the Tokugawa shogunate. The temple and its gardens are part of the Historic Monuments of Ancient Kyoto, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
History
In the Heian Period, the temple site was originally the estate of a branch of...

The ancient Imperial Capital of Japan is one of the few places that is a must on almost any itinerary. With a wealth of temples, shrines and Nijō Castle (二条城 Nijō-jō, built by the former Tokugawa shogunate), Kyōto has enough to keep a temple- and history-freak occupied for a week or more. Nearby is Nara, capital of Japan before Kyōto, where you can see the Daibutsu (奈良大仏, Great Buddha) and many more temples. Ōsaka is just an hour’s train ride away to the south if you are looking for your next destination or want some of the bright lights of Japan’s second city.
Kyōto is for Japanese the...

Ginkaku-ji (銀閣寺), the Temple of the Silver Pavilion, formally known as Jishō-ji (慈照寺, “Temple of Shining Mercy”), is located in Kyōto’s Sakyō Ward and belongs to the Shōkokuji (相国寺) branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Ginkakuji stands on the site of an abandoned Tendai monastery, the Jōdo-ji, in a scenic area of Kyōto favoured by Ashikaga Yoshimasa (足利 義政, 1435–1490), the eighth Muromachi shōgun. In 1465, Yoshimasa announced his intention of building a retreat there and ordered that a search be made throughout the provinces to find materials of the highest quality for his new...

Kinkaku-ji (金閣寺), the Temple of the Golden Pavilion, formally known as Rokuon-ji (鹿苑寺 “Deer Garden Temple”), is located in Kyōto’s Kita Ward and belongs to the Shōkokuji (相国寺) branch of the Rinzai sect of Zen Buddhism. Kinkakuji is built on the site of an estate of the aristocrat Saionji no Kintsune (西園寺公経, 1171-1244) at the foot of the Kitayama Mountains. The third Muromachi shōgun, Ashikaga Yoshimitsu (足利 義満, 1358-1408), took possession of the estate in 1397 with the intention of turning it into an elegant retreat. Over the next ten years several buildings, including a three-storied...

Located in central Honshū, Kyoto Prefecture (京都府 Kyōto-fu) is bounded by Fukui, Shiga and Mie prefectures on the east, Nara Prefecture on the south, and Hyōgo and Ōsaka prefectures on the west. It faces the Sea of Japan to the north. The prefecture is divided roughly into two parts, north and south, by the Tamba Mountains (丹波高地). The southern part, formerly called Yamashiro Province (山城国 Yamashiro no Kuni), is centered on the Kyōto Basin, and the northern part, formerly called Tamba (丹波国 Tamba no kuni) and Tango (丹後国 Tango no Kuni) provinces, is composed of the Tango Mountains (丹後山地). The...

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